Coin collectors



Jan- 26, 1 w. J. KENNEDY ETAL 2,

COIN COLLECTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 20. 1958 FIG.

.W J. KENNEDY lNl/ENTORS W PFERD ATTORNEY Jan. 26, 1960 w. J. KENNEDY ET AL 2,922,571

com COLLECTORS Filed March 20, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .W J KENNEDY INVENTOPS- W PFERD A TTORNEV COIN COLLECTORS William J. Kennedy, Homestead Park, and William Pferd, Watchung, N.J., assignors to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application March 20, 1958, Serial No. 722,768

2 Claims. (Cl. 232-575) This invention relates to coin collectors of the prepay type and more particularly to means for preventing the fraudulent collection of money from refund receptacles of telephone pay stations.

With present designs of coin collectors used with prepayment type telephones, it is known that many fraudu-' refunded coins of uncompleted calls to another receptacle in the event that fraudulent attempts are made to appropriate the coins.

This object is attained by the preferred embodiment disclosed in this invention which contemplates a structure wherein the usual coin receptacle opening is provided with a trap door arranged to swing inwardly. This trap door is positioned and pivotally supported within the upper portion of a flanged plate or frame which is secured in the opening of the coin receptacle. Pivotally connected to the lower inside portion of the trap door is a. link member having substantially the same width as the door, the opposite end of which is operatively connected to the bottom of a pivotally supported coin chute.

The coin chute in its normal position is aligned with respect to the coin return receptacle, thereby permitting the refunded coins of uncompleted calls to be deposited into the return receptacle. The refunded coins thus returned may then be removed by their rightful owners by pushing the trap door inwardly. During the inward movement of the trap door the operatively connected link member is displaced from its normal position, thereby causing concurrently, the blocking of the entrance of the coin receptacle and the displacement of the chute from its aligned position with respect to the coin receptacle. Thus, if any attempt is made to fraudulently appropriate the coins refunded for uncompleted calls by wedging or stuffing the mechanism, the return chute will be inaccessibly positioned to prevent its stufilng, and the refunded coins will be diverted to another receptacle.

These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description which together with the accompanying drawings discloses an illustrative embodiment.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view in perspective illustrating the general form of the device of this invention in its normal position with parts of the structure broken away to clearly show the mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a right-hand side elevational view showing the device of this invention in its normal position and suitably mounted within the lower portion of a pay telephone (shown in dot-dash outline), this figure also show- 2,22,571 Patented Jan. 26, 1960 ing the pivoted and fixed return chutes of the device aligned with respect to the opening provided in the horizontal wall of the telephone housing for the passage of refunded coins from the coin hopper to the coin. receptacle;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 except showing the device with its components actuated by the inward movement of its trap door which effectively displaces the pivoted return chute and its link member; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the front lower section of a pay telephone showing the front of the device positioned therein, and its trap door suitably inscribed to instruct the use thereof.

In Fig. 1 the preferred embodiment of our invention as designated by the numeral 10,'and its application to a pay telephone box structure ll, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, comprises a coin receptacle 12, having the front opening 13, wherein the flange plate or frame 14- is fixedly secured by the screws SCSC to the said receptacles structure for supporting the trap door 15. The trap door is constructed counterbalanced at its upper portion and arranged to swing inwardly within the flanged walls 16 and 17 on the pin 18 for the purpose explained later herein.

A link member 22 having substantially the same width as the trap door 15 is pivotally supported on the lower portion of the trap door 15 in the ear members 20-20 by the pin 21. This link is arranged within the coin receptacle 12 with its opposite end operatively con nected to the lower portion of the return chute 23, by means of the ear members 24-44 and the pin 25, for the purpose of displacing the chute 23 and effectively blocking the entrance thereof, when the trap door 15 is operated inwardly, as shown in Fig. 3.

Arranged telescopically Within the opening 26 of the coin receptacle 12 is the return chute 23 which in turn is hingedly supported at its upper portion to the auxiliary chute 30 by means of the ear members 2828 thereon and the pin 29. The auxiliary chute 30 is also arranged telescopically within the upper portion of the return chute 23, and is provided with ear members 3131 which, in addition to the ear members 37-37 of the coin receptacle l2, serve as means for securing the device of this invention within the coin box structure 11, shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The device as shown in Fig. 2 is secured to the walls 32 and 38 of the housing 11 by the screws SCl-SCl and SC2SC2 whereby the flanged plate or frame 14 and the auxiliary chute 30 are effectively positioned in register with the opening 36 and the opening 33, respectively, thus suitably arranging the device to permit the passage of refunded coins from the coin hopper 34 to the coin receptacle 12, wherein they can be reclaimed by their rightful owners by displacing inwardly the trap door 13, as shown in Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. 3, the inward movement of the trap door 15 is limited by the engagement of its flanged member 19 with the upper edge of the opening 13, in order that the link member 22 is effectively positioned to block the opening 26 of the coin receptacle l2, and also to inaccessibly position the return chute 23 within the housing 11. Thus the device as described heretofore is suitably arranged for diverting the refunded coins of uncompleted calls from the coin hopper 34 to the interior of the coin box structure 11, in the event that fraudulent 'methods are used to appropriate the refunded coins by wedging or stufling the mechanism of the device.

During the removal of refunded coins from the coin receptacle 12, the return of the trap door 15 is automatically effected by the counterbalanced structure of the return chute 23 with respect to the upper portion of Q the door. The reinforcing member 35 of the coin receptacle 12 serves as means for limiting the movement of the return chute 23 by its engagement therewith, thus maintaining the trap door 15 in its normal position as shown in Fig. 2.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A coin collector comprising a coin chute, a refund receptacle below said chute and having an opening through which coins may be removed from said receptacle, means for hingedly supporting said chute in position to direct coins from said coin chute into said receptacle, a door having a pivot spaced from said chute for closing said opening, a frame defining an opening for supporting and maintaining said door in register with said opening, a link member pivotally connected to said door and to said chute whereby said chute is positioned 4- with access thereto blocked by said link to prevent the stufiing of this chute when said door is operated.

2. A coin collector comprising a housing defining a chamber, a coin chute projecting into said chamber, a second coin chute hingedly mounted in said chamber and in register with said first chute, a. coin-receiving receptacle positioned in said chamber and accessible through an opening in the wall of said chamber, a door hingedly mounted in said opening for closing said opening and a link member pivotally connected to said door and to said second chute for causing said chute to register with said coin receptacle when the door is in its closed position and to be out of register with said coin receptacle with access to saidsecond chute blocked by said link to prevent the stufiing thereof when said door is in its open position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,277,916 Klemt Mar. 31, 1942 

